GLEN GARDNER — Facing a team barely outside of the N.J. Wrestling Writers Association Top 20, the Montgomery High School wrestling team knew its climb last night up Route 513 to Voorhees High would be as much a figurative ascent as it was physical.

The sturdy middle of the Montgomery lineup kept the Cougars safely breathing that mountain air before the home team began picking apart the top of the Montgomery lineup and exploited its vulnerable lightweights on the way to a 51-15 victory.

Voorhees wasn’t going to mess this one up, not with wrestlers from its entire youth program in the house.

Voorhees coach Eric Hall, who grew up in that great lower program, knew the drill, presenting a rose to every youth cheerleader and shaking the hand of every junior wrestler before they were introduced to the home crowd.

Then the varsity went out and took care of business, winning 10 of the 14 bouts and registering a staggering 21 bonus points on the strength of five pins, a forfeit and three major decisions.

Perhaps most impressive was the pin by Voorhees’ two-time NJSIAA tournament medalist, Jadaen Bernstein, who decked a very tough Anthony Cassar in 2:46 at 170 pounds. Cassar trailed by a reasonable 4-1 through one period before Bernstein hit a reversal in the second. The two wrestlers got in a scramble, and that usually is a bad thing with Bernstein involved.

Bernstein got over Cassar and barred up an arm for the fall.

“I think 170 is a perfect weight for me,” said Bernstein, who placed sixth in the state at 160 last year. “I was cutting too much weight last year.”

Bernstein also placed second in the state at 160 as a sophomore. “I think my quickness and power is better,” he said.

It started well for Montgomery, which received fine performances from Louis Colonna, Tyler Ajamian, Kevin Kolb and Lenny Bird.

Colonna took Voorhees’ Mike Muscatello down to his back 55 seconds into the meet-opening bout at 145 pounds for a five-point move that propelled him to a 12-0 major decision.

Ajamian followed with an impressive 16-1 technical fall over Voorhees’ Will Gonsiewski in 4:00 that put Montgomery in front 9-0. Ajamian secured the technical fall when he snapped in a near-side cradle with 10 seconds remaining in the bout.

But that lead evaporated pretty quickly as Voorhees’ Jordan Juliano won an 11-3 major decision over Jeremiah Blitz and Bernstein pinned Cassar.

“Anthony has been wrestling well, but he ran into two tough matches, the one in the Somerset County final and Bernstein,” said Montgomery coach Kurt Franey.

Juliano hit a single leg to a double from his knees for a takedown with three seconds left before Cassar ended up on the wrong end of that scramble and Montgomery suddenly trailed, 10-9.

Kolb and Voorhees’ Nick Ruggiero then got into an entertaining hallway brawl that saw the two head into overtime tied at a deceiving 2-2. Kolb proved the physically stronger wrestler, fighting off an ankle pick in overtime and countering for a takedown with nine seconds left.

Montgomery’s 12-10 lead was short-lived again, as Voorhees sandwiched a pair of falls around a forfeit at 220 to take a 22-10 lead. Kyle Levy took down Moustafa Ramadan with 29 seconds left in the first period and quickly sank in a tight far-side cradle for a fall in 1:31.

After Montgomery forfeited at 220, Voorhees’ lead ballooned to 28-12 on heavyweight Alex Fischetti’s fall in 1:11. Kyle DiNapoli’s 12-1 major decision at 106 pounds over the Cougars’ Terrance Rohmeyer preceded pins by Voorhees’ Jack Blunk at 113 and Cody Ihling at 120 to clinch the meet at 44-12.

“Kolb had a concussion earlier and is just rounding into form,” said Franey. “And Bird has really done a good job at 132.”